Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Brock/Mason, 2017

Wmiller07

Member
1,132
30
I really like those upland hunting pictures. I started out pheasant hunting before I caught the waterfowl bug but only on the pen raised birds. I have a lab and I've wondered how she would do on pheasants. Congrats on a great season.
 

Fletch

Senior Member
Supporting Member
6,078
118
Brock... Sounds like your having a blast this year... Congrats to your friend on a gorgeous buck and hats off to you for pushing it to him.. BUT.. Back to wild pheasants.. Many years ago (late 60's) we would travel from Western Pa. to N.J. to visit my Grandparents.. Along the way through Hamburg Pa we would see tons of birds both dead and alive.. 1972 I took a ride to this area to ask permission to hunt and was told by EVERY FARMER YES YOU CAN HUNT!!!! So we made the 2 1/2 hr. ride one morning to hunt... First field we stepped into approx. 20 birds got up. In 10 minutes we were limited out with roosters... 2 1/2 hr. drive to be done hunting in 10 minutes. From then on we learned to let our dog have fun with the birds and hold off shooting till we were ready to quit. The next several years proved to be some of the best hunting I ever had.. Bunnies and a cackling cockbird are sure hard to beat.. Then things changed with the different farming techniques and pesticides and the increase in predators... All the birds vanished.. I quess all good things come to an end...
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
They certainly do, at times.

Here's another good thing, though temporary I'm sure. I just found out I've got permission on another 100+ acres of crp in a prime bird area! It's only a mile long r so from the patch me and the boys were in the other morning. I can't wait to check it out! That puts me up to 600 or so acres of private crp ground to get lost on while chasing our pointers. Hard to beat that it this state!
 

Wmiller07

Member
1,132
30
I've heard PAs pheasant stocking is really good still. I've thought about driving out there sometime to give it a shot.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Love it! You have had a great year. Throw out all the bucks and most importantly: it sounds like you are having a blast! Not every son or friend is lucky enough to have a good bird dog like you pointing them in the right direction! You're a good man Brock!
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
Mason and I chased pheasant for a couple hours yesterday. My dog was not happy with our shooting. Sad.
Today my buddy Tony and I went out to the same place. It's the best habitat I've ever seen in Ohio. I have permission on 120 acres of crp, but with the adjoining property I'd sat there is close to 1000 acres of contiguous habitat. I've got to find out who owns all the adjoining property. It's amazing. So today we pointed and flushed 5, four roosters. We did not fire at the first one. The second I blew out of the air but must have only winged him. Two men with two dogs could not find him. The third died, and the fourth escaped unscathed. Beautiful day to follow a couple of dogs around.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1942.jpg
    IMG_1942.jpg
    192.4 KB · Views: 130
  • IMG_1945.jpg
    IMG_1945.jpg
    8.6 KB · Views: 110
  • IMG_1943.jpg
    IMG_1943.jpg
    195.3 KB · Views: 100
Last edited:

Fletch

Senior Member
Supporting Member
6,078
118
Definitely looks like some nice habitat... Thanks for sharing the pics and story. How is the grouse hunting in Ohio?
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
Definitely looks like some nice habitat... Thanks for sharing the pics and story. How is the grouse hunting in Ohio?

Non-existent in my part of the state. Tony mentioned while we were hunting that just a few miles down the road he bagged both grouse and pheasant on the same hunt in the 90s. In the 21 years I have lived in this part of the state I have never seen a grouse here.